- Barbara Copperthwaite
What’s Their Secret? HOLLY SEDDON @hollyseddon confesses! #HerLastSecret
To celebrate #HerLastSecret going on sale, I’ve asked authors to share their secrets with me… Today it’s HOLLY SEDDON, author of Try Not To Breathe and Don’t Close Your Eyes.
Holly Seddon is a full time writer, living slap bang in the middle of Amsterdam with her husband James and a house full of children and pets. Holly has written for newspapers, websites and magazines since her early 20s after growing up in the English countryside, obsessed with music and books.
Her first novel TRY NOT TO BREATHE was published worldwide in 2016 and became a national and international bestseller.
Her second novel DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES was published in July 2017.
Secret writing ritual…
If I’m writing at home, nothing can start until I have a cup of tea in a big Le Creuset mug. I have a bunch of them, but my favourite is a matte blue (which I’m drinking tea from right now) and if that one’s clean and ready, I feel like I can get a lot more done.
Secret writing snack…
I try hard to eat healthily and I wish I could say that my secret writing snack is some kind of chai acai smoothie with spinach. But it isn’t. It’s white toast, slabs of butter and Marmite.
Secret celebration when you finish a WIP…
Take-away and a vat of wine.
‘Guilty secret’ read…
I’m not sure I read anything that I wouldn’t happily leave lying around… but I guess I do feel a bit guilty when I read something other than from my TBR pile, which is mostly proofs. I really love wrapping up in a blanket like a burrito and reading old Sherlock Holmes short stories. There are definitely no Arthur Conan Doyle proofs on my TBR pile.
‘Guilty secret’ tv programme…
‘Allo ‘Allo!
Shared secret… (tell us something we don’t know about you)
Gosh, I’m a pretty open book/blabbermouth so I’m not sure there’s much I’ve kept secret. Hmn. Okay, when I was about six, I went through a stage of thinking that all adults were part of a secret society of day vampires who communicated on walkie talkies when kids weren’t around and that’s how they always knew what you were up to. Probably no surprise I’ve gone on to write somewhat dark books…
Secret peek into your new WIP…
Well, I think the title is under wraps still and I’m yet to see the cover (hopefully any day soon!) but I can tell you that it’s something of a departure from the previous two, with familiar elements of course. It features the pleasure and pain of intense childhood friendships, the compromises and secrets of marriage and a lot of eighties and noughties references…
Here’s the opening line:
“Are you sure?” I ask.
I know that tells you very little, sorry!
Secret Santa… (If you could give a happy ending to any character who would it be, and what would you do?)
My own character would be Alex Dale from Try Not to Breathe. I’d love to see her achieve some personal contentment outside of her work. I picture her with a little dog in a cottage in the Kent countryside…
Someone else’s character would be Teddy from Life After Life and A God In Ruins by Kate Atkinson. I wept buckets over him in both books and, without wanting to give anything away, I wish he’d been born in a different decade and hadn’t had to fight in the war. Obviously that would also wreck both books…
THANKS FOR THOSE GREAT CONFESSIONS, HOLLY!
HER LAST SECRET is out on Friday 13th October. Lucky for you – unlucky for the Thomas family…
To pre-order or find our more, use the links below.
UK
US
Some secrets you can never tell.
Everyone thinks the Thomases are the perfect family: grand London house, gorgeous kids.
They don’t know wife Dominique is a paranoid wreck.
They don’t know husband Ben is trapped in a web of deceit.
They don’t know daughter Ruby lives in fear of the next abusive text.
But someone knows all their secrets.
Can the lies that bind them destroy them all?
This dark, gripping psychological thriller will have you holding your breath until the very last page. Fans of Behind Closed Doors, Sometimes I Lie, and The Girl on the Train will be captivated.
See what readers are saying about Her Last Secret:
‘OH MY WORD! This is a fantastic read!… I was totally immersed in the Thomas family’s story… Outstanding, I highly recommend!’ Chat About Books
‘Absolutely superb, she’s only gone and done it again – did NOT want to put this book down!!’ Donna’s Book Blog
‘I absolutely loved this well-written emotional rollercoaster, the twists in the story keep you hooked, trying to work out what happened that night. Highly recommended.’ Nicki’s Life of Crime
‘Wow what a fantastic book, totally thrilling and captivating! A tangled web of lies and secrets is masterfully woven in this psychological thriller…I was hooked right from page one…a big fat 5 stars from me, I totally recommend this book.’ Bonnie’s Book Talk
‘This is one hell of an engaging read…I am blown away. I cannot recommend this enough; it is without a doubt a must-read book. Giving it a massive 5 stars.’ Chelle’s Book Reviews
Praise for Barbara Copperthwaite:
‘It grips you by the throat and doesn’t let go. A tense, edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting ride’Robert Bryndza, author of The Girl in the Ice and Cold Blood
‘Vividly written and absolutely gripping. I couldn’t put it down!’ The Genre Reader (5 stars)
‘There are plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing, leading all the way to a jaw-dropping ending that left me spinning.’ Novel Deelights (5 stars)
‘Gripping and shocking. Had me completely enthralled in the action…a story that got under my skin.’ Rachel’s Random Reads (5 stars)
‘A dark, compelling and unforgettable read that had me hooked. The final paragraph haunted me, long after I had finished reading.’ Brew and Books review (5 stars)
‘Addictive, Thrilling, Captivating! I could not put this book down, it captures your interest from the very first page until the very last.’ Book Reviews by Nicole (5 stars)
‘It really did make for some very emotional reading…There was a twist which totally rocked me.’ By The Letter Book Reviews
‘Plenty of red herrings and twists…If you like psychological thrillers, you’ll love it.’ Consumer reviewer (5 stars)